Ejector means for tool sockets



Feb. 8, 1955 A. BRIGLIA Filed May 20, 1954 22 2 3 I Pf lE f l: f: 1::J 6 T I 26 3%: f 22 7 a. I a.

JIM Mae,

United States Patent 2,701,493 EJECTOR MEANS FOR TOOL SOCKETS Anton Briglia, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignor to Amalite, Inc., Brooklyn, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application May 20, 1954, Serial No. 431,102

Claims. (Cl. 81-1241) The present invention relates to a hand tool, namely, a socket wrench and more particularly to the type including an ejector to clear the socket member of any nut or bolt held therein.

When it is necessary to work with a socket wrench in places which are not conveniently reached and even inaccessible to the hand of an assembler or repairman, which conditions are met with for instance in dealing with radio and television apparatus, it is essential to rely on the socket of the tool to hold the nut or screw head in either bringing it to the place where it is to be mounted in such apparatus or to take it away from such place. As it often happens, such nut or screw head is loose in the socket of said tool, whereupon its transportation by said tool is impossible.

It is therefore one of the objects of this invention to provide a socket wrench of novel and improved construction which will securely hold either a nut or a bolt head so that it can be positively carried thereby.

The inclusion of ejector means in a socket wrench for nuts measuring three-eighths of an inch or more across the face thereof, presents no difficulty because the ejector pins are then of appreciable thickness and not subject to being bent when shifted against a nut or screw head which is tight in the socket member. However, when the socket size is of much smaller dimension than one-quarter of an inch across and the outside dimension of the socket member must also be kept small, it becomes a problem to have an ejector means for such tool because the ejector pins are then comparatively thin wire size and although of steel, become easily bent in use.

It is therefore another object of this invention to provide a novel and improved socket wrench for comparatively very small work with an ejector means including comparatively thin wire-size pins, affording a construction to maintain such ejector pins straight and hence stiff and effective to accomplish their intended function.

Another object hereof is to provide a novel and improved tool of the character mentioned, affording sure and easy assembly of its components, proper holding and guiding means for the ejector pins and a construction whereby any article held tightly in the socket member becomes easily dislodged therefrom.

A further object hereof is to provide a socket wrench with ejector means of novel and improved construction, which is reasonably cheap to manufacture, easy to use and efficient in carrying out the purposes for which it is designed.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent as this disclosure proceeds.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal view of a socket wrench embodying the teachings of this invention.

Fig. 2 is a magnified fragmentary section taken at lines 2-2 in Fig. 1, showing in particular the socket member and the associated ejector means carried by the shank of the tool.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal view of the shank member.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged bottom or top view of said shank member.

Fig. 5 is an end view, as seen from the left of Fig. 4.

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Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of the slide member which carries the ejector pins.

Fig. 7 is a bottom view of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of the socket member in accordance with this invention.

Fig. 9 is a top view of Fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is a bottom view of Fig. 8 showing the mouth of the socket member.

In the preferred embodiment shown in the drawings, the tool designated generally by the numeral 15, includes a shank 16 having a handle 17 at one end and a socket member 18 anchored at its other end. The numeral 19 denotes a ring slidably mounted on said shank. This ring carries the ejector pins 20 which extend into the cavity 18 of the socket member when said ring 19 is slid towards the socket member 18 against the action of a compression coil spring 21 which surrounds the shank between said ring and socket member, its ends pressing against them.

To anchor the handle 17 which is preferably molded on, the shank is provided with the usual lateral lugs 22, near one end thereof. The other end of the shank for a portion of its length, is milled or otherwise formed with opposite flats 23, which makes such portion non-circular in cross-section to serve as a track for the ring 19; the hole 19' in said ring being of a shape to correspond to such cross section. Of course, the shoulders 24 which are formed on the round shank, serve as a stop for said ring 19; the coil spring 21 normally holding said ring against such shoulders. The socket member 18 is on the reduced free end portion 25 of the shank, is force fitted thereon and rests against the shoulders 26. Such reduced free end portion 25 is non-circular and is positioned in a correspondingly shaped hole 27 in the socket member; such hole being communicative with the socket cavity 18'. A rather deep axial bore 28 is provided in the socket end of the shank 16 to permit a nut to be run down on a long stud, the latter entering the bore 28 das the socket member 18 threads the nut onto the stu The bores 29 in the ring member 19 are tangent to the bore 19' for it is important that the pins 20 mounted securely therein and extending therefrom shall be in longitudinal contact with the flat surfaces 23 and it is to be noted that the coil spring 21 fits snugly on the pins 20, but permits their sliding movement into the socket cavity 18'. This construction prevents the pins from bending although said pins are thin wires comparatively speaking, in the embodiment shown in Fig. 1 which is full size and is intended to deal with comparatively very small nuts. Said coil spring may be deemed to act as a snug sleeve, keeping the pins 20 straight at all times, because they are being pressed by the spring against the flat surfaces 23. The extent of movement of the ring 19 is so small that the incident change in diameter of the coil spring is negligible. If the spring was loose against the pins, the latter would bend because of their thinness when pushed against a nut snugly held in the socket cavity 18' which is preferably tapered from the mouth or entrance of said cavity, in order to better grip the nut acted on.

In normal rest position as shown in Fig. 2, the free ends of the ejector pins 20 extend to a point a bit out of the socket cavity 18' and rest in the channels 31 which communicate with said cavity. Such channels further aid in maintaining said pins in straight condition.

The socket cavity is here shown of hexagonal form and of course may be of square or other form as desired. The peripheral surface of the ring 19 may be knurled. The socket cavity may be of uniform cross section instead of being made in tapered form as shown.

It is to be noted however, that when the socket is tapered a little, away from its entrance or mouth, that a nut or bolt head set therein becomes securely engaged upon mere pressure applied by hand along the shank of the tool. The element so held by the socket is transportable to or from any place said socket could reach. This feature of construction may be included in socket wrenches of any size, associated with any ejector means,

for an ejector would be required to dislodge the element wedged in the socket.

This invention is capable of various forms and applications without departing from the essential features herein disclosed. The ejector assembly as herein taught may be used for tools other than socket wrenches which employ ejector means; the use of this invention is a socket wrench being chosen herein only as a matter of example. It is therefore intended and desired that the embodiment shown herein be deemed illustrative and not restrictive and that the patent shall cover all patentable novelty herein set forth; reference being had to the following claims rather than to the specific description herein to indicate the scope of this invention.

I claim:

1. In a tool, a straight shank having a head at one end; said head being provided with a socket therein to receive an article; said socket and said shank having coaxial longitudinal axes; said head being also provided with a plurality of bores therethrough communicative with said socket, said bores having longitudinal axes parallel with said socket and shank axes, a ring about the shank and only slidable therealong towards and away from said head, straight pins extending from said ring towards said head, in lengthwise sliding contact with the shank; the free ends of said pins extending respectively into said bores and fitted slidably therethrough for movement into said socket upon shifting the ring towards said head, a longitudinally resilient sleeve about the shank and pins, snugly holding said pins against the shank and positioned between said head and ring; said pins being slidable through said sleeve; each of said pins being a relatively thin wire serving to eject an article housed in and engaged by the socket, and a stop means on the shank,

limiting the movement of the ring away from said head whereby the free ends of the pins remain in said bores in said head.

2. The tool defined in claim 1, wherein the resilient sleeve is a compression coil spring.

3. The tool as defined in claim 1, wherein the socket tapers away from its entrance, whereby an article can be wedged therein.

4. The tool as defined in claim 1, wherein the shank is provided with flat lengthwise surfaces; each pin being on and along one such flat surface; the ring being on and slidable along said surfaces; the bore of the ring conforming with the shank whereby thering is maintained against rotation about the shank.

5. The tool as defined in claim 1, wherein the shank comprises three successive longitudinal parts; the intermediate part having the ring thereon and the pins thereagainst; the end having the head thereon being the first part; said intermediate part being reduced in relation to the third part whereby a first shoulder is formed between said intermediate and third parts; said first shoulder serving as the stop means for the ring; the first part being reduced in relation to the intermediate part, whereby a second shoulder is formed between said first and intermediate parts; the head being a member secured on said first part and in abutment with said second shoulder.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 642,391 Vannote Jan. 30, 1900 1,388,879 Stewart et al. Aug. 30, 1921 1,490,739 Hewitt Apr. 15, 1924 1,584,138 Pomije et al. May 11, 1926 

